Jan 2, 2008 | blog
You know, I’m a fairly patient guy. However, I’m just about at my wit’s end with the constant delays in T-Mobile rolling out 3G data services. I use mobile data services, and really need to have a faster connection than the ~150kbps that my current T-Mobile EDGE service allows.
Sure, I’ve got the plan that includes all their WiFi Hostspots, which is nice, but trying to use EDGE when in motion gets a bit old. Quickly. The only “nice” thing I can say about it right now is that it’s reasonably “cheap” compared to the pricing all-you-can-eat data plans from AT&T and Verizon (sorry – Sprint doesn’t count in my book).
The shitty thing is that I like the phone service and the company. Customer service has been great. Coverage for me in my area has been great. Coverage for me when traveling has been great. Other customers may have had a different experience, but overall, I’ve been very satisfied with T-Mobile – even with EDGE.
However, now that it’s 2008, and knowing that the spectrum they licensed in 2005 has yet to be opened to their customers in two years, I’m growing tired. Yet, it’s not all T-Mobile’s fault. The biggest problem for T-Mobile and their customers is that the spectrum they licensed is still in use by government agencies in many cases. And there may be up to 4 years in some cases before that spectrum is vacated by these agencies. They’ve been slow to roll out 3G, sure, mainly because they know that value and service is what’s going to win them customers. If they could’ve been the first horse out of the gate 3-4 years ago with 3G, they could’ve been the speed/tech leader. But, instead, they’ve become the value leader. Yeah, that “you get what you pay for” phrase does come to mind.
So, what should I do? Wait for the 3G service to launch, or skip on over to AT&T or Verizon and pay at least double for the unlimited data I have today? The other part is nearly all of my family, and a number of friends, are on T-Mobile making efficient use of my unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes and allows me to have a lower-minute (lower cost) plan.
Frustrated.
Sep 1, 2006 | blog
So I’ve yet to get the Cable service hooked up yet, and we’ve been using my MDA’s EDGE connection for Internet access. Overall, I’ve been happy with the speeds I get with my EDGE connection, one time peaking at 200kbps – quite fast compared to my old phone’s (Nokia 6600) 40kpbs.
At our new home though, I get about a peak (so far) of around 127kbps, with an upstream of 74kbps. Not too much to brag about, but right in the range that I’ve seen overall for EDGE service from T-Mobile. I can live with this quite well. This is the first real need for this type of connectivity, though I have used my MDA as a modem on many occasions, it was more of a W?BIC.
So I’ve seen the best-case speeds and the average EDGE speeds, and I am happy with the service. I’ve had mobile data service with my phones for at least 3 years, GPRS was a huge improvement over the original 9.6kbps that you could get out of the standard GSM line, and again with EDGE, it is at least a threefold improvement in speed.
Will I upgrade to a UMTS or HSDPA phone when T-Mobile provides service? Yep! The ~400kpbs of UMTS and multi-megabit speeds of HSDPA will be a great experience. Of course, we’ll have to see what the service charges will be, but at the moment, you can’t get a better deal for mobile Internet access than T-Mobile’s unlimited Internet plan ($20 – its called the BlackBerry Internet plan) and for an additional $10, you can add all their WiFi hotspots as well.
Cool stuff – can’t wait for the broadband connection though!
Aug 22, 2006 | blog
Well, I could have told ya this! Of course it seems more “real” coming from a more authoritative source like RCRNews.
It seems people and critics are starting to realize that EDGE services, provided nationwide by T-Mobile and Cingular, are good enough to get most mobile broadband work done.
While the industry looks ahead to W-CDMA and HSDPA technologies, EDGE handsets will quietly deliver “near-acceptable†mobile broadband experiences across a wide geographic area, according to ABI Research. The firm projects that vendors will ship as many as 148 million EDGE handsets this year—totaling about 14 percent of the global handset market—and suggested that the industry pay closer attention to the technology.
Although EDGE often is viewed as merely an evolutionary step in GSM technology, it has an important role in delivering services for carriers without 3G licenses or for those waiting for 4G, ABI said.
Well, sure – if you look at the majority of the handsets from T-Mobile and Cingular, you’ll see that the support EDGE. Most often in a quad-band configuration (850/900/1800/1900) to cover most of the world’s GSM implementations.
“When the prospects for EDGE are viewed in the context of next generation networks, its true value comes to light,†said Stuart Carlaw, ABI’s principal analyst. “The technology still represents the only viable choice for supporting seamless service delivery on a very wide area basis. Neither WiMAX nor LTE nor HSUPA will be rolled out with enough geographic coverage to guarantee minimum service requirements on a wide scale.”
Considering that EDGE service has a larger footprint than Verizon/Sprint EVDO networks, I’ll choose EDGE any day. Also, with Cingular’s current HSDPA rollout and T-Mobile’s current winnings in the latest FCC spectrum auction for UMTS/HSDPA, we’re in for some awesome mobile data solutions in 2007!
Cool news, all the same.
Link to EDGE comes into its own – RCRNews.com
Mar 12, 2006 | blog
Wow, finally got the new T-Mobile MDA, stopped by a Tmo store on Saturday and picked it up. Since I tested it last October/November, its changed little. It seems a bit more responsive than the test unit I worked with, the “My Email” configuration utility works, and the unit appears more stable than before as well.
Not a lot has changed, I’ll have to go from memory on the earlier unit, and as with all HTC built devices that I have worked with, the build-quality is very good. Also in the intervening 4 months, a number of third party software packages have had multiple revisions for Windows Mobile 5, and the phone edition in particular. So many of my favorite software packages that were performance hogs, or quite “flaky” before, now work rather well.
In the last 16 hours, I’ve installed:
- WisBar Advanced 2 (by Lakeridge Software)
- PocketBreeze 5 (by SBSH Software)
- ContactBreeze (by SBSH Software)
- iLauncher (by SBSH Software)
- Pocket Weather (by SBSH Software)
- ThinkOutside Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Drivers (by ThinkOutside)
One of the best things that I’ve found so far is that both my ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard and mouse work at the same time on this device – something that their earlier drivers in October 2005 did not do. That in combination with the landscape display mode, EDGE or WiFi connectivity, and an improved Internet Explorer really make a difference for quick but useful web browsing.
The wireless capabilities of the device are very important, with Bluetooth for personal device connectivity, Quad-band GPRS/EDGE, 802.11b/g WiFi it can adapt to the best connection available. The built-in slide out keyboard as well really makes a big difference when trying to answer an email on the go, and the existing mail client is adequate allowing multiple POP or IMAP Inboxes.
Another nice piece is the ability to tether a latop off this device while traveling with EDGE service – it allows the device to act as a modem for the larger computer, something that Verizon has only recently started to allow.
Overall, I’m pleased with the minor improvements and am glad to have purchased this device. As the MDA was back in October when I tested it, it is impressive in its capabilities and form.
Oct 27, 2005 | blog
You know what’s really cool? Fast mobile data services. Here I am posting from my Pocket PC again using the keyboard while streaming Boston from my home system via Orb. Too cool.
